To me, your knowledge of poets and poems is encyclopaedic. I have been a slow reader my whole life. I’ve always been more comfortable writing than reading. I, too, feel that poetry is liberating because I experience the world more in impressions than narratives. I even dream in vibes more than stories. I, too, have ADHD, and some literary shame around how that has affected my processing of everything, from your post above to the classics.
I have feared traditional teaching roles because, while I, intuitively, grasp grammar, I can’t name all parts of speech. Distractions that throw me off course are words I don’t recognize. I run into one and, eventually, realize I’ve been reading the same sentence for an inordinate amount of time, stretching it out like the tired resentment of an unsolved puzzle. (Hey, maybe I’ll use that in a poem!)
I “need to” fill in my Shakespeare gaps, attempt Crime and Punishment again, even get through The Wasteland. 😣
Yeah, I feel you. Oh, and the choices! Too many choices ARE a hindrance to the ADHD brain! Actually, that reminds me of why I enjoy writing in forms; the freedom OF not FROM constraints. Ya got me percolating just by being you! Thank you, my friend. 😊 (Sorry to make you read such a long comment!! 😆)
Hahaha! This comment was poem-sized, not novel sized. I feel very in vibe with you on this one. I think "The Complete Works of William Shakespeare Abridged" is probably invented for people like us, also, audio books. I definitely "read" more with audiobooks, but the problem there is that it's hard to really absorb the beauty of the writing when I am also looking around and distracted by everything I see when I am trying to "read." Writing, on the other hand, requires so much more focus, and ergo it is easier for me to write than to read. Funny paradox that. I also find that memorizing a poem, or as Kim Rosen might say, "writing it on your bones" also engages more of my mind and ergo makes it easier to absorb, but you can really only do that with poetry, not with full novels.. . In any event, "Read Shakespeare and Carry On!"
I can relate. Especially since the stroke. Going back and reading books again for the first time.
To me, your knowledge of poets and poems is encyclopaedic. I have been a slow reader my whole life. I’ve always been more comfortable writing than reading. I, too, feel that poetry is liberating because I experience the world more in impressions than narratives. I even dream in vibes more than stories. I, too, have ADHD, and some literary shame around how that has affected my processing of everything, from your post above to the classics.
I have feared traditional teaching roles because, while I, intuitively, grasp grammar, I can’t name all parts of speech. Distractions that throw me off course are words I don’t recognize. I run into one and, eventually, realize I’ve been reading the same sentence for an inordinate amount of time, stretching it out like the tired resentment of an unsolved puzzle. (Hey, maybe I’ll use that in a poem!)
I “need to” fill in my Shakespeare gaps, attempt Crime and Punishment again, even get through The Wasteland. 😣
Yeah, I feel you. Oh, and the choices! Too many choices ARE a hindrance to the ADHD brain! Actually, that reminds me of why I enjoy writing in forms; the freedom OF not FROM constraints. Ya got me percolating just by being you! Thank you, my friend. 😊 (Sorry to make you read such a long comment!! 😆)
Hahaha! This comment was poem-sized, not novel sized. I feel very in vibe with you on this one. I think "The Complete Works of William Shakespeare Abridged" is probably invented for people like us, also, audio books. I definitely "read" more with audiobooks, but the problem there is that it's hard to really absorb the beauty of the writing when I am also looking around and distracted by everything I see when I am trying to "read." Writing, on the other hand, requires so much more focus, and ergo it is easier for me to write than to read. Funny paradox that. I also find that memorizing a poem, or as Kim Rosen might say, "writing it on your bones" also engages more of my mind and ergo makes it easier to absorb, but you can really only do that with poetry, not with full novels.. . In any event, "Read Shakespeare and Carry On!"